Lover you should have come over
by Acebetweencities
Summary: One shot. Set post season 4. Sometime after the infamous proposal. Lucas and Peyton met for the first time in four years...


_**AN :** Okay, these is totally random. But I needed to let it out. It has been running through my head for quite some time now. So here it is. Post season 4. Lucas and Peyton broke up in LA after the infamous proposal._

_Btw? Didn't you just love that 6x13 epi? Best LP scene ever, "Daddy's home" and the tummy kiss floored me. Can't wait for tomorrow episode. _

_Before I let you read this, I need to stress a point. English is not my first language, I'm not a native. So please easy on the frenchie. And sorry for any grammar mistakes.._

_Sometimes a man gets carried away_

_When he feels like he should be having his fun_

_Much too blind to see the damage he's done_

_Sometimes a man must awake to find that, really,_

_He has no-one..._

_So I'll wait for you... And I'll burn_

_Will I ever see your sweet return?_

_Oh, will I ever learn?_

_Oh, Lover, you should've come over_

_Cause it's not too late._

_Lover you should've come over, __**Jeff Buckley**_

Peyton Sawyer had been living in New-York for almost four years now. It was an impulsive move due to another impulsive move from her boyfriend at the time. Lucas Scott. He was the guy who was able to see the real her, to crumble the walls over her heart. He used to be her everything. He was supposed to be her forever.

Life's never what you expect her to be. If anybody knew that more than the others, that would be Peyton. Lucas proposed. He asked her to marry him and she said "someday". She couldn't do it, she wanted to be herself and make her dreams come true before getting married. It was too sudden, and too soon.

The next morning, she woke up alone.

A week later, she was in New-York trying to take Lucas out of her mind and mend her broken heart. She did a good job at this. She quickly found a job in a label and worked her way trough the top. Peyton was now one of the five managers of a not-so-little new label. She went on a couple of dates; try to see other guys, with only one goal: Move on.

Peyton quickly came to the conclusion that maybe she would never move on. His first book had been a great success; and anytime she passed a library she couldn't help herself going inside looking for that book and asking the librarian if he knew when the next one would be out.

She hated herself for doing this, for being like this. And she hated him for making her feel like this even four years after leaving her. But the thing Peyton hated the most, was the fact that she was still deeply and completely in love with Lucas Scott.

* * *

Peyton hated the "must-attend parties". For her, it always had been the ugly part of the job. Mingling, trying to get some attention on the label, to get more "connected" like her boss so gently put it. So there she was, on a cold December night attending some fancy dinner thrown by some tortured upper east-side artist. "Tortured". Peyton had loudly snorted at the word her boss, Carter, had used to describe him. The so-called tortured artist was living in a huge loft in the middle of Manhattan and Peyton knew for a fact that the only torture he ever had to endure was basically something like queuing in Starbucks like everybody else.

It was supposed to be a small dinner with people who were starting to get known in different businesses. Carter had told her earlier that it was the perfect opportunity to get connections and mentioned that she might even have a good time. As she arrived at the restaurant where the dinner was held, she found herself in the middle of more than a thousand people. Peyton gave her name to the maitre d'hôtel, and he politely told her where she'll be sitting for the rest of what promised to be a damn boring evening.

They were round tables all over the restaurant and people were starting to sit down. Peyton made her way trough all the flowers and decorating stuff barely knocking a statue over, and finally reached her table. She let out a sigh and looked over at the table, acknowledging the different people faces.

That's when the world and her heart came crashing down. _Life's never what you expect her to be._ So fucking true.

Here he was, in all his glory. The boy who broke her heart. Luc-Ass Scott. He didn't seem to notice her at first, and for an instant she thought of making a quick exit.

Unfortunately luck had never been Peyton Sawyer strong suit. A boy rose from his chair, and before she had time to react she was sitting next to him. And he proffered the dreaded words.

"Attention Everyone! I'd like you to meet the great Peyton Sawyer!!"

Everybody turned their heads in Peyton direction, greeting her with more or less attention. But she was only interested in one person.

She watched as Lucas's face went blank and the woman next to him tightened the grasp she had on his wrist. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"So Peyton, tell me again about this new artist of yours?"

Peter Anderson had never been one to get the hint quickly when it came to uncomfortable situations. He didn't seem to notice Peyton's uneasiness, neither did he acknowledge the fact that the tension in a particular corner of the table was getting unbearable.

But being the Peter, she knew and loved, he carried on questioning her like there was no tomorrow.

"Well, it's the usual, great sound, meaningful lyrics. I think he can do even better than Jack did. And he deserves it."

"Great."

Peter didn't seem to really care about Peyton's answer, she saw his eyes moving to the woman sitting next to Lucas, and all she wanted to do in that moment was to disappear.

"So Lindsey, how's the edition business doing?"

The so-called Lindsey seemed a little taken aback by the question and took a few seconds before answering.

"It's great. Actually, I've just been promoted senior editor."

"That's sound amazing. So I guess you'll be moving to New York permanently? No more commuting."

Peyton was watching the exchange with great interest. How come Peter knew so much about that woman? And therefore about Lucas.

"Well Lucas and I didn't really talk about it. But it's definitely a possibility."

"Good. Oh, I want to apologize, I'm being rude. Peyton, I don't believe I've introduced you to these people. This is Lucas Scott and his girlfriend-editor Lindsey Strauss"

Peyton managed to get out a greeting and glared profusely at Peter.

"So Peter, how did you and Peyton met each other?"

That was the Lindsey girl who had spoken.

"Oh, Peyton and I are not together. Well, not in a couple way; I mean. We met a few years back, she was still a heart broken and hopeful young girl and I was broke. Let's just say we didn't have fate on our side. But look at us now, she's quite the shark in her label, and I'm a CEO!! In the end we didn't turn so bad."

Lindsey seemed a little disappointed after Peter cleared up the situation about him and Peyton. Fortunately for Peyton the other guests at the table went on with the conversation and she didn't have to speak until the main course. She glanced at him through the whole dinner. Quick stolen glances that made her heart ache even more. Peyton forced herself to focus on the shrimp on her plate to prevent the tears from falling down. He on the other hand didn't seem to give a damn about her. Apart from the first look when she arrived he barely looked at her the whole evening.

Once done with her meal, and hoping for the quick exit that fate denied her earlier, she stood up to leave. But life's a bitch sometimes.

Peter grabbed her, and led her to the dance floor.

"Okay, Pete, I love you and you're my friend but please I really want to know what has been going on all evening."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"Peter Bartholomew Anderson!! Don't play dumb with me!! Like you don't know who Lucas is!!"

"Ok, you caught me..."

He wasn't looking sheepish at all. More like amused. Peyton looked at him for a little while and suddenly it dawned on her.

"Page six... Brooke Davis!! You're dating my best friend and she set you up on this one!! I can't believe the actual nerve of the girl."

It had been going on for a few weeks that Brooke Davis had a secret boyfriend nobody knew about. But last month flipping through the pages of a magazine Peyton had caught her best friend wearing a necklace Peyton knew really well. The very own necklace she had helped Peter to buy a few days before, for his current "love interest" as he so gently put it.

"She just wants what's best for you. So she figured that if you saw Lucas again both of you would most likely be forced to face the facts."

"What facts?"

"Look who's playing dumb now."

Peter looked over at the different couples on the dance floor. And being the mastermind he always was, Brooke was definitely starting to rub off on him, he didn't waste any time and sprang into action. Twirling Peyton a little, he approached the target. Throwing one last look at the girl in his arms, he figured it was now or never.

"May I cut in?"

Lindsey jaw seemed to drop to the floor, and Lucas was speechless, so was Peyton. Wasting no time Peter grabbed Lindsey hand whisking her away in a whirlwind move.

"And then they were two."

The same words she had spoken to him a few years back at Nathan and Haley's wedding. She could barely hold herself together and was looking at her feet. She didn't care that people where dancing around them.

Suddenly Peyton felt his hand tugging at hers and with his other hand he lifted up her chin. He took her in his arms and they started to sway to the music.

"Hi."

Way to go Scott, Lucas thought. This is the first word you've ever said to her in four years. At least it's better than "oh".

Peyton lifted her head up to meet his piercing blue eyes.

"Hi."

This was spoken on a neutral tone. Like two lost lovers calling silently for a truce in the middle of broken lives that none of them ever asked for.

They continued to gaze in each other eyes as the music went on.

"I love you. I've been avoiding your eyes all night because I was afraid to blurt it out in the middle of it all, the timing always wrong with us. And I know this is out the blue but I need you to know that. Wherever you are, whatever you do, I love you. Always."

Peyton's eyes were full of tears and she was two inches away from having a mental breakdown in the middle of the dance floor. She waited for years to hear him say that, and there he was professing his love for her with his girlfriend mere inches away in a crowded fancy dinner. That's when the icy voice tore her from her thoughts.

"Lucas. Lucas, please."

Lucas let go off her and let Lindsey drag him away. Leaving a stunned Peyton, broken by the intensity of it all. She doesn't know how she manages to go outside. But she does, and when she is about to cross the street under the heavy rain, she doesn't see the car coming.

"Peyton!!"

He grabbed her arm, and pulled her out of the car way. Peyton is crying and she doesn't even know why. The car, Lucas, four years of anger are coming down on her cheeks.

"What the hell were you thinking? You're trying to get yourself killed?"

"What the hell was I thinking, Lucas? What the hell was I thinking? Are you kidding me? I haven't seen you in four years; you barely said three words to me all evening. And then you corner me, like you did four years ago, professing your love like there's no tomorrow!! And did I mention your girlfriend? So what do you want me to be thinking Lucas?"

"I...I don't have a girlfriend anymore. I broke up with her."

"I don't care. I don't care about you anymore."

"I do care about you, Peyt'."

"No, you don't. You lost that right a long time ago. Remember when you left me in that hotel room in L.A.? Remember that, Lucas? "

That seemed to send Lucas over the edge. He grabbed both of her elbows in his hands, and forced her to look in his eyes.

"Never! Never say again that I have no right to care. Because I do. Because I love you, always have, always will even if you don't want me to. Walking away in L.A. was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I was a kid and I was scared, scared that I was going to lose the girl of my dreams. And I'm sorry."

Peyton let the words sank in and Lucas kept talking. He didn't mind the rain; he didn't mind anything if that meant he could have Peyton Sawyer to himself.

"All I care for now is that we're both here tonight and I won't let you go again. Not without a fight. I just want to be happy and I can't do it without you; and mostly I don't want to be happy without you. I want your curls on the pillow every morning, I want your smile when I wake up and I want to be the one you'll spend the rest of your life with. You are my dream."

_Life's never what you expect her to be._ That was the last thing Peyton Sawyer thought before clinging onto Lucas Scott for dear life. She didn't want to let go. And when their lips met, it was perfect.

She was cold, she was soaking wet but she was in love, and it never felt better.

"I love you too."

That's when Lucas knew he was right. Maybe they had a lousy timing and all, but he had his Peyton back. And that was the only thing that mattered.

* * *


End file.
